RomanPunks is a retrofuturistic, cyberpunk derivative world-building project inspired by fine art, history and the cryptopunk movement.
A total of 1,000 RomanPunk characters have been frozen in time and minted as Non Fungible Tokens (NFTs) on the Ethereum, WAX, Polygon and Algorand blockchains.
RomanPunk characters are comprised of commoners and famous individuals based on Roman history, art history and pop culture.
The basis for RomanPunk lore and backstories is exhaustively researched by history/sci-fi buff and co-founder, Punktavian.
All images are drawn by hand by woman artist and co-founder, Cleopunktra, without the aid of AI or generative tools.
RomanPunks came into existence through early minting on OpenSea, promoting on Twitter and building a Discord community through giveaways and engagement. The idea of a cyberpunk-derivative ‘RomanPunk’ theme was in our heads for years, but it was the success of the Cryptopunks that became the catalyst for project conception and launch.
After a hard working first 60 days spent networking and attracting new collectors to RomanPunks, our community had begun to flourish and sales increased. We began to offer our collectors an opportunity to battle their NFTs in a tournament bracket powered by dice rolls.
Encouraged by the tight knit community and the carbon-neutral blockchain with lightning fast and low cost transactions, we launched 'romanpunksio' collection on WAX Blockchain as the first step to expand the backstories of our RomanPunk characters and the baseline for future development of a card game.
RomanPunks integrated with Chainlink Labs to utilize VRF (Verified Randomness Function) to host a giveaway raffle for our holders. We developed a smart contract on Ethereum which guarantees true random number selection on chain and can be used for a wide range of functions that require random selection.
After much anticipation in the community, we released our first WAX NFT card 'pack' through the Neftyblocks platform, which sold out in less than a week.
We launched our Twitch channel and begun building an audience by offering numerous giveaways of WAX NFTs from our collection, as well as giving participants a chance to win RomanPunk ETH NFT airdrops for taking top spot at the end of the 'season'.
As firm believers in a metaverse future and land owners in The Sandbox, we undertook to build the RomanPunk Colosseum on 1x1 land and entered our experience "Gladiator Bloodsport" into a GameJam contest. We will continue to build the Colosseum into a PVP arena and social hub once The Sandbox offers creators the ability to do so.
Thanks to the user friendly tools offered by NeftyBlocks, we launched a comprehensive blending system on WAX, allowing our collectors to blend the common NFTs they earn in our Discord RPG up into Legendary famous NFTs through the use of blending 'coins' that can also be earned on the Discord as reward for helping to promote the RomanPunks project.
We launched the VX collection on Polygon. Each owner of an ETH NFT gets their voxel equivalent airdropped to them, and these NFTs can be redeemed for official NFTs on The Sandbox Marketplace once available.
All 1,000 original, unique 1:1 RomanPunk characters hand drawn by Cleopunktra and minted on OpenSea.
The RomanPunk WAX NFT Trading Card Fighter Pack Series II consists of 3 NFTs randomly selected from over 236 characters.
Upcoming plans for RomanPunks include:
Below is a comprehensive and searchable directory of all 1,000 RomanPunk Characters.
Born in 111 AD in Rome, Herbertus is a soldier of the Lost Cohort, which disappeared on campaign in Caledonia. Muco and his comrades were transported to an alternate dimension where they were equipped with hi-tech weapons and armor by sympathetic druid hackers seeking new allies.
Born 2125 AD in Leptis Magna, Octimius is the North African legate to Rome, using his diplomatic status to smuggle rare artifacts, interdimensional tech, and military-grade cybernetics to the Empire’s extraterrestrial elite. A trusted ally of Neo-Carthage’s governor and the cyborg Emperor Caligula, Falco leverages bribes, blackmail, and insider deals to maintain his untouchable position. His operations fuel the dark underbelly of Roman society, making him indispensable—and untouchable—in the empire’s most dangerous circles.
Born 488 AD in Gamla Uppsala, Sega was a mercenary vampire slayer for the Merovingian king, Clovis I, who forbid any under his command to cut their hair. Sega never married or bore children, devoting her curiously long life to the eradication of the undead scourge.
Born in 425 AD in Cartagena, Geil’s mother experienced an immaculate conception by the angel Lucifer. Geil was raised among the 80,000 Vandals invading Africa, later becoming a military commander who is responsible for countless atrocities.
Born 202 AD in Leptis Magna, Reema is believed to be an illegitimate daughter of Emperor Severus, raised by legionnaires and priests. As a rebellious teenager, she fled dimensions seeking peace, only to discover incessant armed conflict wherever she landed.
Born in 274 AD in Trento, Rolfus was part of the mysterious Cthulu Cohort that, according to legend, disappeared in a cave and returned as cybernetic drones believe to be puppeteered by an extradimensional alien force loyal to Emperor Diocletian.
Born 266 AD in Basel to dimension-hopping inventors from the 23rd century, Xylon learned from his mother how to make advanced weapons, and from his father how to use them. Now he travels across space and time in search of his next fight.
Born 3973 AD on an unknown planet in an unknown star system from an unknown galaxy, Ziggus emerged in the 2nd century AD to a Roman world ravaged by vampires and zombies and helped inspire the people to valour through poetry and song.
Born in 355 AD on the shores of the Black Sea, Hilda Cixilo was raised in blood by warrior parents who trained them in battles against the Huns. After collecting 80 heads in the Battle of Adrianople, Hilda went on to distinguish herself in Mastaura as an undefeated gladiator.
Born in 242 AD in Mediolanum, Alexa Servilianus quickly rose through the ranks of Emperor Aurelian’s legion in Germany after stepping into a dimension portal in Lake Como and returning equipped and skilled with the lightsaber.
Born 1960 AD in Valentia, Noira is a courtesan at Café Cypherpunk, a neon oasis where intergalactic metaverse denizens come to refuel and privately trade whispers of their escapades. A quiet observer by nature, Noira accidentally overhears a conspiracy that could destabilize the space-time continuum. Now, she’s marked by shadowy forces intent on silencing her, forcing her to navigate a world of intrigue far beyond her comprehension. Her only hope of survival lies in the hands of a dimension-hopping protector who may or may not arrive in time.
Born in 44 BC in Eblana, Conchar is a POW captured in Britain and forced to fight as a gladiator. With an unblemished record of wins, he drew the attention of time traffickers and was portaled to the 28th century AD to fight in the cybercolosseum.
Born in 333 AD in Singidunum, Jez spent his entire life in the city of his birth as a loyal guard, helping defend against invading Sarmatians. He befriended his commander Theodosius, who, after becoming Roman Emperor, hired Jez as an interdimensional henchman.
Born 122 AD in Augustodunum, Corio was a renowned blacksmith for the Roman legion until he was kidnapped by alien cyborgs and sent through an interdimensional portal to the 28th century AD where he is condemned to fight as a gladiator in a futuristic cybercolosseum.
Born 1996 AD in Tarraco, Oza is the sharp-witted assistant to Vittoria Creedus in Neo-Carthage’s Bizarre Bazaar. With the help of her pet skunk whose spray erases memories, she quietly steals from unsuspecting customers while keeping up appearances. Oza’s cleverness keeps her schemes hidden, but in a city where secrets are dangerous currency, her luck may not last forever.
